Distant Family Ties
by HiddenPortrait
Summary: It's strange isnt it...those people we call family who dont share any blood ties? The story of a boy and his 'big sister' and how Tohru finds herself a big brother. I just love Kunimitsu!


Distant family ties.

Kunimitsu was doing some paperwork in the warm afternoon while Master Kazuma was out and there were no pupils training in the Dojo today. He had a cold beer open by his side as he lazily sorted through the copious amounts of documents. He was quite startled when the door bell rung. He scrambled up from the floor and jogged to the door. He was even more surprised to see the young Miss Honda standing there looking expectantly at him, he'd assumed it was just another door-to-door salesman.

"Hello Miss Honda" Kunimitsu smiled at her, "what an unexpected surprise"

She smiled bashfully, "I'm sorry to come by so unannounced but, if he is not already too busy, I was wondering if I could see Master Kazuma"

"Unfortunately he is out at the moment but he shouldn't be long, would you like to come in and wait for him?"

"no, no, I'd hate to be a bother to you!" she insisted.

He laughed at her eagerness, "I wouldn't have offered if it was an inconvenience, please come in"

"Thank you so much!" she tottered inside.

"this way, would you like a drink? We have some soft drink in the fridge and some juice as well. It's too hot for tea today." He said wandering towards the kitchen.

"Please don't go to any trouble for me" she was most insistent again.

"really, it's no trouble. Not often that I have pretty girls visit me at the dojo"

Tohru blushed, "all the Sohma's are such gentlemen"

"But I'm not a Sohma," he opened the fridge, "what was it you wanted?"

"some juice would be very nice thank you"

Kunimitsu chuckled, "you're so polite."

"people always say that" she beamed as he passed her a glass of juice.

"please join me while we wait for Master to return"

"thank you!"

They sat down and Kunimitsu started going through some papers again, "So Miss Honda…"

"Please call me Tohru" she was grinning.

"Ok then Tohru." He laughed again and took a swig of his beer, "what is it you need to see Master about, maybe I can help you"

"um, it's nice of you to offer but I really think only master can help me with this." She said looking meekly down at her glass.

"ooooh!" Kunimitsu said superiorly, "it's about little Kyo-chan isn't it?"

"ah!" Tohru looked up, "it is! How did you know?"

He laughed, "You're a very honest person, especially when it comes to the way you feel"

"but that's not true at all!"

He laughed again, "but what will you do if our little Kyosie doesn't respond to your intentions? He is completely dense when it comes to these things"

"if Kyo wants to go away I won't mind" she said softly, "I just want him…and all the Sohma's to be happy."

"no wonder Master adores you so much. Oh! But what if someone steal him away from you?" Kunimitsu thought the idea of Tohru becoming the scary jilted lover quite amusing.

Tohru looked up her cheeks had gone a little pink but her face exuded such determination and animosity towards some unknown person, "I won't let anyone hurt him!"

Kunimitsu gasped, he was so caught off guard that he muttered, "big sister…?"

"oh! Are you ok Kunimitsu?" Tohru moved towards him.

"yes" he shook his head and smiled nostalgically, "I'm fine. It's just for a moment you looked exactly like Big Sister."

"You have a big sister?" Tohru was smiling once again, "you always struck me as an only child"

"Big sister was more of a mentor when I lived on the street." He explained cheerfully, "she always looked out for me and it's because of her I found Master and became the upright citizen you see today!"

"she sounds wonderful" Tohru was beaming again, "do you see her often?"

"I haven't seen her since I was a kid" he seemed amused by something, "I was rather rude to her. I do think she forgave me though, after all, the red butterfly was rude to everyone!"

"Red butterfly?" Tohru gasped, "Kyoko the kamikaze red butterfly?"

"you've heard of her?"

"she's my mother!" Tohru said proudly

Kunimitsu looked silently at her for a moment, "you're….mother…?"

"my, what a small world this is!" Tohru was grinning again.

"but isn't you're mother…dead?" he looked concerned.

"Yes, my mother and father both passed away."

He smiled sadly, "Miss Tohru Honda would you like to hear a story about your mother from when she was the great red butterfly?"

"she always said that she wasn't proud of those days. She said that she hated to think of all the bad things she did…" Tohru said carefully.

"but this is the story of how she saved a young mans life."

"Then I would love to hear it!" Tohru said excited.

Kunimitsu had lived on the street since he was very young. He'd run away from home for many reasons and knew he could not return. Being so young he was constantly the victim of the various street gangs. Whatever money he stole was usually stolen back off him and he hardly had a nights sleep without being tormented by teenagers with nothing better to do. One particular night an orange haired girl with a nasty look in her eyes found him trying to sleep in an alley. He could tell straight away that this girl was gonna be trouble. He tried to defend himself but the girl was just too experienced. In the middle of it she shouted at him, "stupid weak brat. If you can't take it on the street just go home!"

He looked up at her completely incensed by her callous words, "if I had one I would! What does a stupid spoilt brat like you know about weakness? You're just another teenager who has everything and so has to take their boredom out on people! Well go on then! Kill me! Just kill me! It's not like I have a life ahead of me, it's not like anyone would care or even notice! If it will make you feel so much better just kill me!"

She was so shocked by his words, "I am not a spoilt brat! Sure I have a home but I'd rather sleep out here with you then return to it."

"poor thing" he snapped, "you poor little girl, what is it? You're daddy works too much? Your mummy wants you to do well at school? You are just a whiney school kid!"

"what does a brat like you know?" she went to hurt him again but he didn't flinch at all, "what now? Pretending not to be scared? Think that'll make you tough?"

"I told you, I want you to kill me. At least that way I wont have to put up with anymore people like you!" he was close to tears now, he was tired, hungry, dirty and alone. His recent memory was full of pain and the future seemed to hold more, what was the point of being alive when one can't live?

She stopped; "a little kid shouldn't speak like that" was all she said before turning around. He reached out.

"I said do it!"

She looked back, "you look hungry, come on I'll buy you something to eat"

After that she couldn't leave him behind, after all it was proof that there was someone worse then her. She showed him places to sleep, bought him food, showed him how to steal food and money properly, she even taught him to fight. He learned how she was the red butterfly. She was one of the toughest women in the city. She was the only girl to ever make it to the top of one of the boys gangs. Nobody wanted to meet her in a dark alley. He looked up to her more then anyone else in the world. He followed her like a duckling. He respectfully called her 'Big sister' and she called him, 'baby boy'.

"don't call me that!" he complained, "I'm not a baby!"

She laughed, "what then? Kuni chan? Mitsu chan?"

"ack! They both sound like girls!"

"then baby boy it is! You're my little baby boy!" she pinched his cheek.

One day while they stood on a bridge spitting at passers by below she told him about this strange teacher she met.

"Sensei is so weird!" she told him just before she spat again, "heh heh! Got one! That's 6-8 in my favour!"

"weird?" he tried but missed and hit someone's dog, "damn! Is that counted?"

"nope. I dunno, he's like some impulsive freak. He just took me out of school for lunch."

"free meal…yes! 7-8 I'm catching up!"

"that's what I thought first but he didn't treat me strange at all."

"maybe he's some sort of creepy pervert, ya know has a thing for school girls, hey a cop! He's all yours!"

She leaned over the railing, "that's so worth a bonus point, 7-10. I don't think he's like that at all. It's like he's sad or something."

"huh?"

"I dunno, like I said weird."

Over the next few weeks Kyoko spent less time with the boy. She was always off meeting her 'sensei'. He missed her terribly. When they saw each other late at night she would talk about him and seemed less interested in the goings on in the gang until one day she told him, "I'm quitting the gang"

"what?! They'll kill you!" he exclaimed.

"It's not worth it. I don't want to be this person anymore. I wanna be something better"

"but big sister you're the red butterfly! You are the best of the best!"

"no, I'm the worst of the worst." She looked at him with such remorse, "I should never have gotten you involved in gangs"

"if you didn't I might be dead by now, I might still want to be dead!"

"you mean you don't want to die anymore?" she smiled.

"I want to live because it means I get to be around you big sister." He looked away.

"you're so sweet baby boy." She ruffled his hair and smiled. He loved that smile, the smile that had started when Sensei came into her life. It was open, and truly happy.

"we'll still be friends right?"

"of course! Well…unless you get into trouble from the gang…"

"hey! I'm not ruled by them. I only ever pledged loyalty to you."

He was horrified when he heard that she went to hospital. For the first time in his life he prayed, he prayed that she would be alright. He was so relieved when she got out. She met him on the bridge they used to spit off of. She looked so different and yet it was the same girl. Then he realised it wasn't. The red butterfly was gone, here was Kyoko.

"got kicked outta home"

"I heard" he said quietly.

"I'm marrying him"

"who? Sensei?!"

"yup" she giggled, he'd never heard her giggle before, "happy little couple eh?"

"congratulations."

"thanks" she went quiet, "Baby boy I'm moving away. We're gonna live at the sea."

"You're leaving me?" he snapped.

"no, it's not like that" she shook her head, "How can I stay in this town?"

"so you'll ditch me like you ditched the gang?" he was verging on tears.

"you could come stay with us!" she beamed.

"yeah right! Like you're precious Sensei would let me! He wants you all for himself"

"he's done so much for me…maybe you need your own sensei…?" Kyoko didn't seem to be really listening to his rant.

"you! I want you to be my sensei!" he insisted.

She shook her head, "no, I'm useless for that. You need someone wise, someone who can teach you things like self respect and discipline"

"no one can!" he cried, "you and you're husband are gonna be happy now! You don't need me any more! I hate you!"

She looked at him, already forgiving his words, "and I love you my baby boy. If you ever need a place to stay, this is my new address" she handed him a piece of paper but he was just too angry.

"I hate you!" he shouted and ran off. Later he heard she had a child. He heard its name but never remembered it.

Kunimitsu smiled at the girl in front of him who was now in tears, "I was always jealous of you Tohru, I would sit alone at night and think 'what a wonderful mother Kyoko must be, what a loving father her sensei must be…'." He wiped her tears away, "don't cry, please, Kyoko would gut me if she thought I made you cry! I went off the rails big time after that. It wasn't until years later that I met Master. The first time I met him I remembered my first meeting with Kyoko and my last. Her words… they helped me decide to be a better person. I owe her my life. Big sister is the only family I ever had."

"that's such a beautiful story" Tohru was holding down sobs.

"Big sister was family and I owe her a debt. All of that is transferred onto you now Tohru"

"what?" Tohru didn't understand what he was implying at all.

"If there is anything I can ever do for you please ask. The only way I can pay her back is to look out for her only child. I'd do anything for big sister's daughter."

"but it was my mother who…"

"I suppose that makes you little sister eh?" Kunimitsu laughed, "and you must call me 'big brother'"

"but…"

"please" he looked pathetic (heh heh he learned this off of Shigure!)

"ok…big brother…."

He beamed at her, "oh but look at the time! I'll call master and see what's keeping him." Tohru could hear him on the phone, "Master when will you be returning…no, it's just you have a guest….Miss Honda…when…oh…are you sure….ok then, good bye" he turned to her, "he wont be returning today" he said regretfully.

"Will he be in tomorrow?"

"I'll make sure of it for you" he smiled.

"then I should really return home myself, I have to make dinner."

Kunimitsu showed her out but as they reached the door Kyo walked in, "hello Kyo, Master isn't here today, he's gone out"

"dammit I needed to get his permission to…huh?" he'd finally noticed Tohru, "what are you doing here?"

"uh…um…well…" Tohru blushed

Kunimitsu put an arm around the girl, "she was visiting me of course. She worried that master and me don't eat properly so she came over to make us some lunch!" he lied cheerfully.

"oh…" he sighed, "Tohru you worry over other people way too much." All she managed to do was laugh nervously.

"so you're going to escort her home then?"

"I don't need you to tell me what to do!" he snapped.

Kunimitsu smiled as the two walked down the street, "don't be stranger little sister" he called out.

"I'll make sure I'm not big brother!" she waved back.

"Eh? What the hell are you two doing? He doesn't deserve such a title! Where does he come off calling you little sister? Sounds like something pervy Shigure would say!" Kyo ranted.

Tohru giggled, "It's really the most honourable title my mother ever gave me"

Kyo shook his head, even more confused.


End file.
